José Maria Ricciardi was a critic of Ricardo Salgado
The former director of BES and president of the group’s Investment Bank, José Maria Ricciardi, died on Tuesday at the age of 71.
The news of death of José Maria Ricciardi It was initially announced by the newspaper and later confirmed by the Lusa agency with a source close to the family.
O former BES administratorwho was also a candidate for the presidency of Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2018, died as a result of prolonged illness.
The former BES manager, José Maria Ricciardi, was one of the members of the Espírito Santo family who, even before the collapse of BES, challenged and criticized the leadership of his cousin Ricardo Salgado.
In 2014, the year BES collapsed, Ricciardi went to the commission of inquiry parliamentarian to the famous Banco Espírito Santo case criticize “bad management” of the administration by Ricardo Salgadothe then BES strongman who is now facing justice.
“There was a progressive lack of credibility among many company employees, because there were practices that were, at the very least, ethically reprehensible”declared Ricciardi at the time, adding that, “for this reason, the losses were happening and, instead of being put on the table, they were possibly disguised”.
The end of BES takes place on August 3, 2014when Banco de Portugal applied a resolution measure to the bank, after a case of falsification of accounts at the level of the group’s holdings.
The person who tried to change things
“I was the only person who tried to change the course of things”highlighted José Maria Ricciardi in his hearing at the commission of inquiry, adding that there were two attempts to remove him from his role in the group.
“There were two attempts to put me out on the street. First, in November 2013 and then, in June 2014,” he then told deputies.
In 2015, Pedro Passos Coelho revealed to the same commission of inquiry that José Maria Ricciardi had expressed informally your concern with the evolution of BES and GES.
“As part of informal conversations, I remember that Dr. José Maria Ricciardi sometimes expressed his discomfort regarding the developments regarding the situation of BES and GES, which were already public knowledge”, read the written responses sent by the then prime minister to the parliamentary commission of inquiry.
Ten years later, in 2024, Ricciardi went to court as part of the BES/GES trial, and revealed that Ricardo Salgado asked him to “be in solidarity with the family” and with the “falsification of accounts” at GES.
He revealed a dinner he had at the house of his cousin and former president of BES, in June 2014, in which expressed surprise at the “exaggerated friendliness” of Ricardo Salgado and his wifeat a stage when they no longer had good relations and practically did not speak to each other.
